Interpretation of supplemental sensors

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10375457-B2
Application number	US-201715423001-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 2, 2017
Priority date	Feb 2, 2017
Publication date	Aug 6, 2019
Grant date	Aug 6, 2019

Abstract

A method, a computing system and a computer program product are provided for utilizing supplemental sensors to monitor conditions of an area employing a sensor network. One or more supplemental sensors that are external to the sensor network are detected in an area. The one or more supplemental sensors are added to the sensor network. Readings pertaining to the conditions of the area are retrieved from the detected one or more supplemental sensors and one or more first sensors included in the sensor network. The readings of the one or more supplemental sensors and the one or more first sensors are compared and a resulting condition of the area is determined based on the comparing.

First claim

We claim:

1. A method of utilizing supplemental sensors to monitor conditions of a plurality of areas employing a sensor network, the method comprising:
detecting, by a computer system, one or more supplemental sensors external to the sensor network, the sensor network including a plurality of fixed sensors;
adding to the sensor network, by the computer system, only each respective supplemental sensor of the one or more detected supplemental sensors that a corresponding user authorized to be read by downloading an application to the respective supplemental sensor;
assigning to a respective area, by the computer system, the each respective supplemental sensor added to the sensor network, the each respective supplemental sensor being assigned to the respective area including a closest fixed sensor of the plurality of fixed sensors;
retrieving, by the computer system, readings pertaining to the conditions of each of the plurality of areas from the sensor network including the each respective supplemental sensor added to the sensor network and the plurality of fixed sensors; and
for each respective area, performing, by the computer system:
comparing the readings of the each respective supplemental sensor assigned to the respective area with one or more fixed sensors included in the respective area, and
determining a resulting condition of the respective area based on the comparing.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining a respective type of the each supplemental sensor added to the sensor network; and
querying the each supplemental sensor for readings in accordance with the respective determined type.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein one or more of the each respective supplemental sensor added to the sensor network include a sensor of an Internet of Things device.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the determining a resulting condition further comprises:
overriding a condition indicated by the sensor network in response to a variance in the readings between the one or more supplemental sensors assigned to one of the respective areas and the one or more fixed sensors included in the one of the respective areas.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the determining a resulting condition further comprises:
determining a first number of sensors in the one of the respective areas reporting a first condition and a second number of sensors in the one of the respective areas reporting a second condition; and
determining the resulting condition based on which of the first number and the second number is a higher number.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the plurality of fixed sensors are weighted differently than the each respective supplemental sensor when performing the determining of a first number of sensors and a second number of sensors.

7. A computing system for monitoring conditions of a plurality of areas employing a sensor network, the computing system comprising:
at least one processor;
a network interface to allow the computing system to communicate with devices of a sensor network; and
at least one memory connected with the at least one processor, wherein the at least one processor is configured to:
detect one or more supplemental sensors external to the sensor network, the sensor network including a plurality of fixed sensors;
add to the sensor network only each respective supplemental sensor of the one or more detected supplemental sensors that a corresponding user authorized to be read by downloading an application to the respective supplemental sensor;

assign to a respective area the each respective supplemental sensor added to the sensor network, the each respective supplemental sensor being assigned to the respective area including a closest fixed sensor of the plurality of fixed sensors;
retrieve readings pertaining to the conditions of each of the plurality of areas from the sensor network including the each respective supplemental sensor added to the sensor network and the plurality of fixed sensors,
for each respective area:
compare the readings of the each respective supplemental sensor assigned to the respective area with one or more fixed sensors included in the respective area, and
determine a resulting condition of the respective area based on the comparing.

8. The computer system of claim 7 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:
determine a respective type of the each supplemental sensor added to the sensor network; and
query the each supplemental sensor for readings in accordance with the respective determined type.

9. The computing system of claim 7 , wherein one or more of the each respective supplemental sensor added to the sensor network include a sensor of an Internet of Things device.

10. The computing system of claim 7 , wherein the at least one processor being configured to determine a resulting condition further comprises the at least one processor being configured to:
override a condition indicated by the sensor network in response to a variance in the readings between the one or more supplemental sensors assigned to one of the respective areas and the one or more fixed sensors included in the one of the respective areas.

11. The computing system of claim 7 , wherein the at least one processor being configured to determine a resulting condition further comprises the at least one processor being configured to:
determine a first number of sensors in the respective area reporting a first condition and a second number of sensors in the respective area reporting a second condition; and
determine the resulting condition based on which of the first number and the second number is a higher number.

12. The computing system of claim 11 , wherein the plurality of fixed sensors are weighted differently than the each respective supplemental sensor when performing the determining of a first number of sensors and a second number of sensors.

13. A computer program product comprising:
at least one computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith for execution on a computing device, the computer readable program code being configured to be executed by the computing device to:
detect one or more supplemental sensors external to a sensor network, the sensor network including a plurality of fixed sensors;
add to the sensor network only each respective supplemental sensor of the one or more detected supplemental sensors that a corresponding user authorized to be read by downloading an application to the respective supplemental sensor;
assign to a respective area of a plurality of areas the each respective supplemental sensor added to the sensor network, the each respective supplemental sensor being assigned to the respective area including a closest fixed sensor of the plurality of fixed sensors;
retrieve readings pertaining to the conditions of each of the plurality of areas from the sensor network including the each respective supplemental sensor added to the sensor network and the plurality of fixed sensors;
for each respective area:
compare the readings of the each respective supplemental sensor assigned to the respective area with one or more fixed sensors included in the respective area, and

determine a resulting condition of the respective area based on the comparing.

14. The computer program product of claim 13 , wherein the computer readable program code is further configured to:
determine a respective type of the each supplemental sensor added to the sensor network; and
query the each supplemental sensor for readings in accordance with the respective determined type.

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Bender Michael
• Gupta Rahul
• Kumhyr David B
• Marin Junior Leucir
• Mathieu Arnaud A
• Mukherjee Maharaj
• Robertson Michael P

Classifications

• G08C2201/93

  Remote control using other portable devices, e.g. mobile phone, PDA, laptop · CPC title

• H04Q2209/84

  Measuring functions · CPC title

• H04Q9/00 Primary

  Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom · CPC title

• H04Q2209/25

  using a mesh network, e.g. a public urban network such as public lighting, bus stops or traffic lights · CPC title